Formed January 1, 1744 (34th county)
Albemarle County (112,396), Charlottesville (46,554), Scottsville (522)
The classy red brick Greek Revival structure was erected in 1803 and enlarged in 1859 and 1870. The Courthouse is located on Jefferson Street at Park Street. United States Highway 250 Business is one block to the east. William D. Meriwether, Isaac Miller, and George Divers combined on the designs. The building was renovated in 1938 and 1963. The building is in a park setting with columns. A 1939 District Courthouse and a 1939 Administration Building supports the county. The county was formed on January 1, 1744 from Goochland County as the 34th county. Albemarle County is named for the Earl of Albemarle. Scottsville was the original county seat until 1762 when Charlottesville assumed the role. The county seat was named for Queen Sophia Charlotte. She is also the namesake for Charlotte County and its county seat, the independent city of Charlottesville, and Mecklenburg County. Albemarle County is the birthplace to 3 Virginia Governors, Thomas Jefferson, James Barbour, and Thomas W. Gilmer.
Albemarle County government consists of a sheriff and 6 Supervisors. Three Circuit Court Judges and Nine District Court Judges serve Albemarle, Culpeper, Fluvanna, Goochland, Greene, Louisa, Madison, and Orange counties and Charlottesville City and Forty-two Magistrate Court Judges serve Albemarle, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Frederick, Goochland, Greene, Loudoun, Louisa, Madison, Orange, Page, Rappahannock, Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren counties and Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, and Winchester cities. The county is located in north central Virginia. Richmond, Virginia is southeast and Alexandria, Virginia is northeast of the county. The county center is 6.5 miles West of Charlottesville nearer Ivy. The county is surrounded clockwise by Greene, Orange, Louisa, Fluvanna, Buckingham, Nelson, Augusta, and Rockingham counties and surrounds the City of Charlottesville.
The area of the county is 723 square miles. It is 6 out of 133 in the state. It ranks 16 out of 133 in population in the state. It has a density of 155.5 persons per square mile making it 56 out of 133 in the state. Albemarle County has 0.4% of its population in its incorporated areas. Interstate Highway 64 crosses the county from east to west from Louisa County to Nelson County. United States Highway 29 comes in from Orange County, northeast, and goes into Nelson County, southwest. United States Highway 250 parallels Interstate Highway 64 from Louisa to Nelson counties. Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President, was born and is buried in this county. The county is a funnel. Charlottesville is located near the center of the county, although technically outside of the county. Scottsville is on the southeast border of the county. Charlottesville is the county seat and Scottsville is the largest city since it is the only incorporated city. Scottsville is 0.5% of the county population. The county is pronounced AL-BE-MARL. This county is in the Charlottesville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Scottsville
Charlottesville (county seat)
